No current evidence Nancy Guthrie was taken to Mexico, sources say
This version of Live Updates Nancy Guthrie Savannah Missing Investigation Rcna259487 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The Pima County, Arizona, sheriff said he was hopeful that a gun holster and a possible ring a man was seen wearing in video from Guthrie's porch could lead authorities to a suspect.
What we know
- CROSS-BORDER OUTREACH: There is no evidence that Nancy Guthrie was taken over the U.S.-Mexico border, two officials briefed on the case said. Authorities on both sides of the border have shared information since the start of the investigation, the officials said.
- ONGOING INVESTIGATION: More than two weeks into the search for Guthrie, 400 investigators continue to work the case, running down thousands of tips and leads, Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff Chris Nanos said. “As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it’s not cold,” he said.
- DNA TESTING: There was no match in the FBI's database for DNA from gloves found about 2 miles from Guthrie’s home. Nanos also said partial DNA from the home is being analyzed.
- MORE SUSPECT DETAILS: Authorities say the man seen in the doorbell camera video is 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall and that he was carrying an Ozark Trail backpack from Walmart and had a unique gun holster. He also may have been wearing a ring.
- FAMILY CLEARED: All members of the family have been cleared as potential suspects in the disappearance of Guthrie, who was last seen Jan. 31 after having spent time with her family.
Timeline of the ongoing Guthrie investigation
The search for Guthrie is in its third week, with her having last been seen Jan. 31 and reported missing Feb. 1.
Here is a timeline of the investigation.
Genetic genealogist 'hopeful' about DNA analysis, says it could take minutes or weeks to ID a potential suspect
Nanos said yesterday that "partial DNA" from Guthrie's home will be analyzed using genetic genealogy and that authorities believe they have "some DNA there that may be our suspect."
The potentially mixed DNA makes CeCe Moore, the chief genetic genealogist at Parabon, a Virginia lab specializing in forensic genetic genealogy, "extremely hopeful."
“The fact that it may be a [DNA] mixture, to me, is even more compelling, because that is so common in violent crimes, and we know there was some type of altercation that caused Nancy to bleed,” Moore told NBC News today.
Genetic genealogy — a process that analyzes a person's DNA and genealogical records for family history — has cracked major cases, including that of the Golden State Killer in 2018, and it led to the arrest of Bryan Kohberger in connection with the 2022 University of Idaho murders.
However, the process could take mere minutes or potentially weeks based on the kind of DNA, Moore said.
First a profile is created for genetic genealogy, then bioinformatics scientists work on the file to extract a potential suspect’s DNA, she said. Once the DNA is extracted, it can be tested against CODIS — the FBI's DNA profile database — or used in genealogy, Nanos said yesterday.
"If the person of interest, in this case, has deep roots in the U.S. and is a white person, they could be identified in minutes or hours," Moore said. However it'll take longer if the person has recent immigrant ancestry or was born outside the U.S., because there's far less representation among those populations in databases, she added.
Moore said such was the case in identifying Kohberger — it took several weeks because he had recent ancestors from Italy.
No evidence Nancy Guthrie was taken over the border, sources say
There’s no evidence that Guthrie was taken over the U.S.-Mexico border, two officials briefed on the case said.
Since the start of the investigation, the Pima County sheriff and later the FBI have been in touch with officials on both sides of the border to share information in the case, the officials said, noting that such outreach is standard in missing persons cases like this one.
Such outreach could include physical descriptions, potential evidence or clues to look for at the border.
The FBI maintains border liaison agents who work in offices along the border and work directly with Mexican law enforcement on such matters, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Tucson Crime Stoppers reward grows to $102.5K
Tucson Crime Stoppers’ reward has grown by $100,000 thanks to a donation, bringing the total reward for information leading to an arrest to $102,500.
Tucson Crime Stoppers, known locally as 88-CRIME, announced the increased reward on social media today, noting that the $100,000 was being offered by a private donor.
“For the Guthrie case, the $100,000 donation has been verified and will be available to eligible tipsters once the verification process confirms that the tip directly resulted in an arrest,” said James Allerton, the 88-CRIME program coordinator.
The reward is in addition to the $100,000 reward offered by the FBI.
A look at Guthrie's neighborhood
Reporters stationed outside Nancy Guthrie's residence in Tucson on Wednesday. Brandon Bell / Getty Images
With the investigation in its third week, her Tucson-area neighborhood continues to be flooded with media, as well as an outpouring of support from the community.
People pay their respects at the makeshift memorial outside Guthrie's residence Wednesday. Brandon Bell / Getty Images
Sheriff says work underway to retrieve additional video from Guthrie home
It has been more than a week since authorities released doorbell camera video from the morning Guthrie went missing from her home.
Nanos said Google is still working on retrieving additional video from other Nest cameras at Guthrie's property, but he warned that doing so is complicated.
He said other private companies, including Meta and Apple, have offered help.
Meta told NBC News in a statement that it "is in touch with relevant law enforcement officials and has offered any assistance our team members can provide in the search.”
Arizona congresswoman condemns internet speculation
Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., condemned internet sleuths who are speculating online about the Guthrie investigation.
Speaking with reporters at an ICE detention center today in Arizona, she said she "wished we stopped having these people that have fallen in social media platforms acting as if they are investigators."
"I do think that it is hurting the investigation," she said. "We have people sort of throwing out descriptions that don’t resemble the description that’s been put out by the County Sheriff’s Department."
"We really do wish that they would let law enforcement do their job, because ultimately we want to bring Nancy home, and the Guthrie family would like to be able to see their mom," she added.
FBI offering $100,000 reward for information in Guthrie case
The FBI announced last week that it was upping its reward and offering $100,000 for information that either leads to Guthrie or to the arrest of anyone involved in her disappearance.
Investigators hope unique holster and possible ring could offer clue to suspect’s identity
In video taken from Guthrie’s porch the morning she went missing, a man could be seen wearing a gun holster, and it’s a unique one, Nanos said yesterday.
Investigators are looking to gun stores to try to match the unique holster.
“We know he had a gun. We know he had a holster that had some pretty unique characteristics,” Nanos said in an interview.
“We can’t quite identify it yet, but that’s being worked on. So naturally, we go to our gun shops everywhere and say: ‘Have you seen this guy? Can you help us identify this weapon? Can you help us identify this holster?’” he said.
Nanos also said images of the suspect could show him wearing a ring.
“I look at the same photo you look at, and I get, I see it,” Nanos added.
“I’m going to give that to my team. They’ll look at that. They’ll analyze it, and we’ll see. Maybe, maybe it is,” he said.
Identification of Walmart backpack could be critical, sheriff says
Nanos said yesterday that identifying the backpack worn by the suspect, which was sold at Walmart, could be a critical clue.
“That backpack, we could positively now identify as a backpack that is sold at one place only. That’s Walmart,” Nanos said in an interview.
“So we’re working with our Walmart managers all across the state to try to find out how many sales there were of that backpack in the last 20, 30 days, the last 60 days,” he said.
“And can we do something with that? Can we break it — maybe we’ll find a credit card or a bank card,” he said. “Maybe we’ll find a video of the guy walking in.”
Nanos also encouraged members of the pubic to submit any information they may have and said no tip is too small.
Ring camera founder speaks about security images in Guthrie case, privacy concerns
Ring founder and chief inventor Jamie Siminoff discussed the home security video that provided the biggest lead thus far in the Guthrie case. He also touched on privacy concerns and the company’s controversial Super Bowl commercial.
Case is far from being cold, sheriff says, citing thousands of leads
As the search for Guthrie stretches into Day 18, 400 investigators continue to work the case, Nanos said yesterday.
And they are running down thousands of tips and leads.
“As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it’s not cold,” Nanos told NBC News.
“We’re not going to give up. We’re going to find Nancy, and we’re going to find out who did this.”
Yellow flowers fill 'TODAY' studio to send love to Guthrie family
As the search continues for Guthrie, yellow flowers are being placed near her home and all across Tucson. And in Studio 1A, "TODAY" is sending its love to the Guthrie family with yellow flowers and ribbons.
Now in its third week, the Guthrie investigation might take more time
After DNA evidence found on gloves 2 miles from Guthrie's house yielded no matches in an FBI database, investigators are now combing through her home and working on further testing DNA found there, which does not match her or anyone who was known to be at her house recently.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News yesterday that investigators are now pursuing genealogical leads based on partial DNA found at Guthrie's home.
But all of this could take some time.
The case rings bells of the Idaho murders in 2022, in which it took six weeks to track down Bryan Kohberger who killed the four students overnight in their off-campus home. Officials in that case ultimately matched Kohberger's DNA by going through trash at his parents' house, where he was staying after the quadruple murders.
Doorbell camera footage released last week by the FBI, showing a man, remains critical to finding Guthrie, and officials are working with Walmart to track the person based on the backpack he was carrying.
Officials are also going to gun shops to try to identify a weapon seen in that video, and are working to get a signal on Guthrie's pacemaker.
That said, it is not unusual for this investigation to be in its third week with no suspects or persons of interest identified. All of these avenues take time to pursue, and it requires working with numerous companies and agencies.
DNA found at Guthrie's home may belong to suspect responsible for her kidnapping, sheriff says
As the search continues for Guthrie, the Pima County sheriff tells NBC News that DNA found on her property could belong to the suspect behind her disappearance.
Family has often turned to social media
Nancy Guthrie’s family has posted on social media several times pleading for her return since she disappeared nearly two weeks ago.
“TODAY” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on Feb. 2 posted “please pray” on Instagram, asking for the public to lift up prayers for her mother’s return.
On Feb. 4, the journalist posted a video alongside her siblings, addressing reports of ransom letters. The following day, she shared a video of her brother, Camron Guthrie, asking the possible captor to reach out.
In another video Feb. 7, she said the family was willing to pay for her mother’s return.
“We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her,” Savannah Guthrie said. “This is the only way we will have peace.”
“This is very valuable to us, and we will pay,” she added.
On Feb. 9, Savannah Guthrie thanked the public for prayers, saying she believes her mother is still out there.
On Tuesday, she posted photos the FBI shared of images retrieved from her mother’s Nest doorbell camera. In a separate post that same day, she shared a video shared by the FBI, writing: “Someone out there recognizes this person. We believe she is still out there. Bring her home.”
Late last week, she shared home videos from her youth with her mom, with the caption: "Our lovely mom. 💛 We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope."
In an online plea Sunday, she again said that the family still has hope and believes her mother is alive. She also addressed whoever her mother has or knows where she is, saying: “It’s never too late.”
“You’re not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. “We are here. And we believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being.”
Milwaukee Crime Stoppers president offers $100,000 reward
Milwaukee Crime Stoppers President Michael Hupy said last night that he is offering to sponsor a $100,000 reward for information in the Guthrie disappearance.
Hupy said that he would sponsor the reward through the Tucson chapter of Crime Stoppers and that the funds would come from his personal funds.
“It’s my money. I made the decision on my own," Hupy told NBC News in an interview.
"They have a Crime Stoppers in Tucson. I talked to them. They were very happy to have the reward. I sent it to them today, a cashier’s check, and they’re very responsible," he continued.
NBC News has reached out to Tucson Crime Stoppers to confirm receipt of Hupy’s $100,000 sponsored reward.
Hupy said he took an interest in the Guthrie case because he is "very saddened at what happened to this lady. And there’s something [that] just doesn’t make sense. If somebody took her and wants ransom, they’ve been awfully quiet about it.”
Hupy emphasized that anonymous tips may yield more useful information. Typically, an FBI reward money involves a tipster providing identifiable information. Crime Stoppers uses a coded number so tipsters can collect money if their tip leads to an arrest.
“When they call Crime Stoppers, they’re given a code number ... If that tip leads to an arrest, then they get a reward," Hupy said. "They go to an unannounced place and receive the reward anonymously by just giving their number.”
Hupy, who has been a longtime advocate for Crime Stoppers, said he wanted to participate with the hope of bringing answers to the Guthrie family.
“The ripple effect in these cases is horrible," he said. "I mean, it isn’t just somebody’s kidnapped or killed. It’s the ripple effect of a spouse, family, [and] children. We have to bring closure to people.”
Here's what authorities know about the suspect so far
Here’s everything we know so far about the suspect in Guthrie's disappearance:
Images posted to X by FBI Phoenix on Feb. 12 show surveillance footage of a masked man and a black Ozark Trail brand backpack. via FBI Phoenix
- The FBI shared images retrieved from the backend systems of Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera showing a masked and armed individual at her doorstep.
- The FBI has described him as a man of average build, between 5’9” and 5’10” tall.
- He was also seen wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.
- The sheriff said it's possible the suspect at the door was wearing a ring.
Security footage from the house of Nancy Guthrie, released by the FBI. Kash Patel via X
Investigators hope unique holster could offer break in the case
In video taken from Guthrie’s porch the morning she went missing, a man could be seen wearing a holster, and it’s a unique one, the sheriff said today.
Investigators are looking to gun stores to try to match the unique holster.
“We know he had a gun. We know he had a holster that had some pretty unique characteristics,” Nanos said in an interview.
“We can’t quite identify it yet, but that’s being worked on. So naturally, we go to our gun shops everywhere and say: ‘Have you seen this guy? Can you help us identify this weapon? Can you help us identify this holster?’” he said.
All members of Guthrie family have been cleared as possible supsects
All members of the Guthrie family, including all siblings and their spouses, have been cleared as possible suspects in their mother’s disappearance, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said this week.
The family has been “nothing but cooperative and gracious and are victims in this case," he said.
“To suggest otherwise is not only wrong, it is cruel,” Nanos continued. “The Guthrie family are victims plain and simple.”
No match found in database for gloves found miles from Guthrie's home
Preliminary testing on gloves found about 2 miles from Guthrie’s home point to the DNA of an unknown male, authorities said. Those gloves appear to match the gloves worn by a person seen in security video from outside Guthrie’s home. But DNA from the gloves did not match any samples in the FBI's DNA database, authorities said last night.
But, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, "that's not the end."
“Now we start with genealogy and some of the partial DNA we have at the home,” he said in an interview today.
“To me, that’s more critical than any glove I found 2 miles away. I’m not dismissing the glove 2 miles away, but I have gloves 5 miles away, 10 miles away, so we prioritize,” he said.
Nanos did not say where in the home the DNA was found.
“We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out, maybe admitted to CODIS, maybe through genealogy,” Nanos said.
